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Europe/Russia
Close-up of three green Heineken bottles lined up one behind the other; only part of the necks and the caps are visible (Photo: Guimly on Pixabay)

Austria/Netherlands | While Heineken’s Austrian subsidiary Brau Union faces heightened media interest over its alleged market dominance abuses, the firm has lost its board member for communications and corporate affairs – the second in only two years. In Amsterdam, meanwhile, Heineken investors openly push the brewer to speed up the search for a new CEO and consider hiring an outsider.

Europe/Russia
Golden statue of Lady Justice, holding a sword in her right hand and a set of scales in her left; the statue is photographed from below, against a bright blue sky (Photo: WilliamCho on Pixabay)

Austria | In the pending antitrust proceedings against the Austrian beer market leader Brau Union, there have not been any settlement talks yet with the Federal Competition Authority (BWB). Brau Union first signalled its openness to such talks during a court hearing in December 2025. But none have taken place so far, a Brau Union legal representative said on 11 June.

Europe/Russia
Bronze figurine of a blindfolded Lady Justice, holding her scales up in her right hand (Photo: Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash)

The Netherlands | The Dutch Supreme Court rejected an appeal on jurisdiction by Heineken and its Greek subsidiary Athenian Brewery in a long-running damages claim by Macedonian Thrace Brewery (MTB), producer of the popular Greek beer Vergina. This was reported by MTB on 2 June.

Europe/Russia
A beer tap bearing the words ‘Old Speckled Hen, crafted fine ale’ and the company logo (Photo: Courtesy of Greene King)

United Kingdom | Pub chain Greene King agreed to sell its Old Speckled Hen ale brands to Spanish brewer Damm, the owner of Estrella lager. Barcelona-based Damm will buy all the Old Speckled Hen lines, including its non-alcoholic and golden ale versions, and will brew them at its brewery in Bedford.

Europe/Russia
A yellow note shows a light bulb drawn in black felt-tip pen, with rays emanating from it, and is pinned to a corkboard with a red pin (Photo: AbsolutVision on Unsplash)

United Kingdom | Three months after BrewDog’s dramatic collapse, founder James Watt announced plans to launch a new beer brand called Second Best. Speaking to the Financial Times on 23 May, he said his new venture will allow former BrewDog Equity Punk investors to claim shares for gratis.

Europe/Russia
Sign in a window, saying, “Sorry we’re closed” in capital (Photo: Tim Mossholder on Unsplash)

United Kingdom | Across the UK, some 320 brewery businesses shut last year, Companies House data show. Yet only 170 opened, resulting in a net loss of 150. The loss has continued this year. As of April, the number of UK beer brewing companies fell to 2320. It peaked at 2594 in 2022.

Europe/Russia
Group photo of the participants at the CIBD study tour 2026 (Photo: BRAUWELT International)

Austria | It must have been on the bucket list of many brewers: visiting six breweries in only three days, on top of journeying along some of the most scenic routes in Austria and Bavaria. Luckily, some 40 UK brewers and their mentors got the chance, courtesy of the Chartered Institute of Brewing and Distilling (CIBD). They made the most of it, familiarising themselves with the breweries’ heritage and their technical installations, while enjoying a diversity of beers and styles.

Europe/Russia
Outside view of Diageo’s Littleconnell Brewery in Newbridge (Image: Courtesy of Diageo)

Ireland | Guinness parent Diageo officially opened its new Kildare brewery on 11 May as part of a near EUR 1 billion investment in its Irish operations. Diageo said the new brewery on a greenfield site at Littleconnell, outside Newbridge, represents an investment of almost EUR 300 million (USD 350 million) - 50 percent more than planned when the expansion was first announced in 2022.

Europe/Russia
Entrance area of Brau Union’s new “city brewery” in Villach, featuring a wall of red beer crates bearing the Villacher logo, small decorative steel brewing kettles, a photo booth and a small beer tap (Image: Courtesy of Brau Union)

Austria | Imagine this: “Brau Union’s new Villach City Brewery opened on 6 May right in the heart of downtown and is breathing new life into the region’s brewing culture. After 12 months of construction, up to 7,000 hl of beer will be produced here each year,” media gushed. No mention, though, that the small brewery is replacing a 320,000 hl brewery on the same site, which Heineken’s Austrian subsidiary Brau Union had shuttered in 2024.

Europe/Russia
Carlsberg cans in a canning line in Ukraine (Image: Courtesy of Carlsberg Group)

Ukraine | Andriy Sadovyi, mayor of the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, told media on 5 May that his day did not begin not with coffee, but with the opening of a new canning line at Carlsberg’s brewery. He mentioned the figure of UAH 610 million (EUR 12 million), which he said is a significant contribution to the development of Lviv’s economy.

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